ANDY HARDY COMES HOME (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1958), a Fryman Enterprise Production directed by Howard Koch, returns Mickey Rooney to his iconic role of Andy Hardy and home studio of MGM. In a title role he originated in A FAMILY AFFAIR (MGM, 1937) starring Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington, followed by fifteen subsequent comedy-dramas through 1946 featuring the recast Lewis Stone and Fay Holden, this latest installment not only resumes the outlook of the Hardy family for the first time since LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946), but an attempt to revive the movie series which actually put an end to it.
After receiving a telegram from her son, Andy, that he is coming home for a visit, his mother, Emily (Fay Holden), Aunt Milly Forrest (Sara Haden), sister Marian, Marion (Cecilia Parker) and his nephew, Jimmy (Johnny Weissmulelr Jr.) arrive at Carval Municipal Airport for a family greeting. Andy (Mickey Rooney), a popular teenager in his day, now married with two children living in Santa Monica, California, is a top executive in legal department for the Gordon Aircraft Corporation. As a favor to Mr. Gordon (Sydney Smith), the company president, Andy returns to Carvel seeking for undeveloped property for a proposed missile factory site, something that could have Carvel grow and prosper with plenty of employment. With the assistance of courthouse clerk Betty Wilson (Pat Crawley), he proposes buying land belonging to Thomas Chandler (Vaughn Taylor), offering him a set price. However, Chandler goes back on his promise with a higher selling price. With the help of his best friend, "Beezy" Anderson (Joey Foreman), he offers to sell him his Puddle Creek property at a lower cost. When news gets out, a petition is used to stop the deal by rezoning the property. Complications develop when Betty's jealous boyfriend, Jack Bailey (William Leslie) misinterprets her spending too much business time with Andy. With the arrival of his wife, Jane (Patricia Breslin) and his children, Andy Jr. (Teddy Rooney) and Marian, better known as "Cricket" (Gina Gillespie), for moral support, Andy feels betrayed by his friends, let alone the possibility of still being employed. For this production, four songs, written by Mickey Rooney and Harold Spina, are credited, including the opening theme song of "Lady Summer Night," "Ugotia Soda," "Unk WInk" and "The Octavian Song." Also in the cast are Jerry Colonna ("Doc"); Frank Ferguson (Mayor Benson); and Tommy Duggan (Councilman Warren).
With movie and later television reunions seldom doing well, ANDY HARDY COMES HOME is no exception. Yet for those who have become accustomed to the series at its prime (1937-1946), would view this reunion for nostalgic reasons, especially through film clips of MGM starlets who later prospered as major leading ladies as Judy Garland as Betsy Booth (who appeared in three entries in the series), Esther Williams's underwater kissing sequence with Andy from ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE (1942), and Lana Turner from LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938), all featuring upscale 1950s style underscoring not used in the movie originals.
While Fay Holden, Sara Haden and Cecilia Parker retained their original roles, only the Beezy Anderson character earlier portrayed by Georgie Breakstone, was recast and enacted by Joey Forman. The now deceased Lewis Stone, as Andy's father, Judge James K. Hardy, is presented through a still photograph placed in the family study. It is through his photograph that Andy seeks guidance and strength to do what he thinks is right. Interestingly, for Andy's sister, Marian, her character is rather undeveloped. Now a mother to a giant-size teenage son (played by son of Tarzan screen legend, Johnny Weissmuller) there is no mention about her husband to whether she is a widow or divorced. Naturally there hasn't been any mention about Andy's older sister, Jane (Julie Hayden), since the series introduction of A FAMILY AFFAIR. It would be natural having Mickey's own son, Teddy, as Andy Hardy Jr., and wanting to have a man-to-man talk with him in the similar manner between Judge Hardy and son. Sadly, Teddy's performance, along with Jeanne Baird as Beezy's wife, Sally, somewhat weakens the proceedings through their lackluster acting. Gina Gillespie as Andy's daughter is very cute, however. Patricia Breslin was satisfactory as Andy's wife, Jane, but many familiar with the series would have preferred Ann Rutherford's Polly Benedict, Andy's girlfriend, to have returned and assumed her role of Mrs. Hardy instead.
While ANDY HARDY COMES HOME at 83 minutes is done in the style and tradition of television family shows (minus laugh track) as "Father Knows Best," it appears much of this dramedy with updates showing the Hardys watching television, for instance, along with new teenagers/characters just didn't jell in 1958 as it might have in 1948. Though this installment isn't really all that bad, it was probably best watching the older Hardy Family movies on late night television instead, indicating the sixteenth and final installment that nothing really stays the same. Never distributed on video cassette, ANDY HARDY COMES HOME has become available on DVD and occasional broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2)
